The Mandibles
- Author: Lionel Shriver
- Narrator: George Newbern
- Publisher: HarperCollins USA
- Duration: 13:46:27
Synopsis
With dry wit and psychological acuity, this near-future novel explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating U.S. sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family. Down-to-earth and perfectly realistic in scale, this is not an over-the-top Blade Runner tale. It is not science fiction.
In 2029, the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight, on the international currency exchange, the “almighty dollar” plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency, the “bancor.” In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. “Deadbeat Nation” being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation.
The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance turns to ash, each family member must contend with disappointment, but also—as the U.S. economy spirals into dysfunction—the challenge of sheer survival.
Recently affluent, Avery is petulant that she can’t buy olive oil, while her sister, Florence, absorbs strays into her cramped household. An expat author, their aunt, Nollie, returns from abroad at seventy-three to a country that’s unrecognizable. Her brother, Carter, fumes at caring for their demented stepmother, now that an assisted living facility isn’t affordable. Only Florence’s oddball teenage son, Willing, an economics autodidact, will save this formerly august American family from the streets.
The Mandibles is about money. Thus it is necessarily about bitterness, rivalry, and selfishness—but also about surreal generosity, sacrifice, and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances.
Chapters
-
001 The Mandibles
Duration: 39s -
002 2029-Chapter 01
Duration: 30min -
003 Chapter 02
Duration: 31min -
004 Chapter 03
Duration: 44min -
005 Chapter 04
Duration: 47min -
006 Chapter 05
Duration: 48min -
007 Chapter 06
Duration: 40min -
008 Chapter 07
Duration: 38min -
009 Chapter 08
Duration: 43min -
010 Chapter 09
Duration: 53min -
011 Chapter 10
Duration: 45min -
012 Chapter 11
Duration: 55min -
013 Chapter 12
Duration: 46min -
014 Chapter 13
Duration: 35min -
015 Chapter 14
Duration: 37min -
016 2047-Chapter 01
Duration: 34min -
017 Chapter 02
Duration: 01h03min -
018 Chapter 03
Duration: 32min -
019 Chapter 04
Duration: 34min -
020 Chapter 05
Duration: 58min